Photograph-printing machine



Nov. 26, 1929. J. R. THONET 1,737,440

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PHOTOGRAPH PRINTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 13. 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 .i fm1/fe 711/1501? Wnd- W mm@ Nov. 26, 1929. 3 R, THONET 1,737,440

PHOTOGRAPH PRINTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 15. 1926 E Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Nov. 26, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE'.v

HATHAWAY MANUFACTURING C0.,

F SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS PHOTOGRAPH-:PRINTING MACHINE Application led December 13, 1928. Serial No. 154,402.

This invention relates to a machine for printing photographs and has for its object to provide a power-operated machine of simplc construction and capable of exposing photographic negatives and sensitized photo-l graphic paper to light for the purpose of producing photographic prints, the operation being performed at a very rapid rate and in a very efficient manner without it being necessary to employ skilled labor, all that is required of the operator of the machine being to insert the negative and sensitized paper in the machine, determine the intensity of light that will be required to properly reproduce the negative upon the sensitized paper in a given period of time, operate a switch to start the machine, after which the various operations are automatic, including the final stopping of the machine at the end of a complete cycle of operations, and finally to remove the negative and sensitized paper from the machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine by means of which all negatives may be reproduced upon the sensitized paper in the same period of time, the variation in the density or character of the negatives, or the grade of sensitized paper employed being compensated for by a Variation in the intensity of the light to which said negative is exposed; a variable resistance coil being interposed in the electric circuit to the source of illumination, and a multiple switch being provided for controlling the passage of electric current through said resistance coil and for simultaneously operating an electrically'operated clutch which controls the starting and stopping of the machine.

The invention consists in a machine for printing photographs as set forth in the following specification and particularly as pointed out in the claims thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is Va plan view of a photograph printing machine embodying my invention, a portion of the casing which contains the source of illumination being broken away and shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation as viewed from the left of Fig. 1, a. portion ofthe machine being broken away to save space in the drawing.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail transverse section taken on the line 3--3, Figure 1.

Fig. 4 is a detail side elevation of the re- 55 sistance coil.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic representation of the electric wiring of the machine.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawing. In the drawing, 6 represents a base and 7 is a casing supported upon said base. Located within the casing 7 is a main source of light comprising a plurality of electric light bulbs 8, and an auxiliary source of light comprising a plurality of electric light bulbs 9; all of said bulbs being mounted in suitable sockets upon a block 10 fast to the base 6. Located at the rear of the casing 7 is a pilot light 11 of small candle power which is 70 mounted within a socket 12. Feed wires 13 and 14, from any suitable source of electric supply, are connected to the socket 12 and supply the electric power for the entire apparatus. Also mounted upon the base 6 is 75 an electric motor 15 which provides the mo- "tive power for the mechanism hereinafter to be described.

Located at the front of the casing 7 is a transparent member 16, preferably glass, 30 and a negative 17, from which the photographic print is to be made, is held by a suitable clamp mechanism 18 in position behind a mask and against the front surface of said glass.

A sheet of sensitized material, upon which a photograph is to be printed, is mounted upon a holder 19 to which it may be clamped in any suitable manner, and said holder is yieldingly supported upon a frame 20, being 9o positioned upon said frame by a plurality of guide pins 21, and being spaced apart from said frame by springs 22 which surround said guide pins. The frame 20 is pivotally attached at 23 to a support 24, which in turn 95 is pivoted at 25 to the base 6. The rearward position of the support 24 is determined by an extension 26 thereof engaging a screw 27 which constitutes an adjustable stop therefor, and the normal position of rest of the holder 100 19, frame 20 and support 24 is approximately 'as illustrated in Fig. 2.

The frame 20 and support 24 are moved from the position illustrated in Fig. 2 to position the sensitized material in the holder 19 against the negative 17 by a mechanism as follows A connecting rod 28 is ivotally attached at one end thereof at 29 to t e frame 2() and the other endof said connecting rod is attached at 30 to the outer end of an arm 31, the lattei being rigidly fastened to a shaft 32 adapted to rock in suitable bearings provided upon the base 6. Another arm 34 is rigidly fastened to theshaft 32, and at theouter end of said arm a connecting rod 35 is attached at 36, the other end of said rod 35 being attached by an eccentric bushing 37 to the outer end of a rocker arm 38, which in turn is pivoted on an eccentric bushing 39 to the base 6. A lever 40 is pivoted on an eccentric bushing 41 to the base 6, and one end of said lever is operatively connected to the rocker arm 38 by a spring 42, the latter being so constructed as to provide a yielding connection between the lever 40 and arm 38. The end portion of the spring 42 that is fastened to the arm 38 is bent to provide a space between said spring and arm, and an intermediate portion 43 of said spring is bent to engage the arm 38 ad- 30 jacent to the outer end'thereof, and said spring terminates in a portion 44 which forms a space into which an end portion 45 of the lever 40 projects, thereby permitting said end portion 45 of said lever to travel within said space as the arm 38 moves upwardly and downwardly.

A rocking movement is imparted to the lever 40 by a cam 46 fast to a cam shaft 47 supported in bearings 48 provided upon the base 6, a cam roll 49 being mounted upon said lever and engaging the periphery of said cam. A clutch member 50 is also rigidly fastened to the cam shaft 47 upon the opposite end of said shaft from that to which the cam 46 is fastened, and said clutch member 50 is adapted to co-operate with a clutch member 51 which is rigidly fastened to ashaft 52 positioned in longitudinal alignment with the shaft 47 and mounted in bearings 53 provided upon the base 6. A worm gear 54 is fast to the shaft 52, said gear meshing with a worm 55 fast to a motor shaft 56.

During the operation of the machine, the motor 15 is running continuously and the clutch member 51 is normally disengaged from the clutch member 50. When it is desired to print a picture, however, the clutch members 50 and 51 are operatively connected together by an electrically operated mechan ism of novel construction, which embodies therein an electro-magnet 57 adapted to operate an armature 58, which in turn controls the movement of a locking pin 59 which is mounted in the clutch member 50 and which is adapted-to interlock with the clutch member 51 and thereby fasten said members together.

During the operation of the machine the electric light bulbs 8 are extinguished, except during the period thatthe holder 19 for the sensitized material is located in a position to expose said sensitized material to rays of light from said electric light bulbs, and the electric circuit to the electric light bulbs is controlled by a switch 60 which is located within the casing 7, as illustrated in Fig. 1. The switch 60 embodies therein .a pin 61 which projects through the front ofthe casing 7 and is engaged by the support 24. The rear extremity of the pin 61 engages a lever 62 which is pivoted at 63 to a suitable bracket. A spring 64 normally acts to hold al pair of switch members 65 and 66 out of engagement with each other, at which time the electric circuit through the switch is open. As the-frame 20 and support 24 are moved forwardly to position the holder 19 toexpose the sensitized material, the pin 61 is moved to rock the lever 62 to close the electric circuit between the members 65 and 66, thereby illuminating the electric light bulbs 8 until the holder 19 is again moved away from the negative 17.

Each photograph as it is printed in this machine is exposed the same length of time to the source of illumination, and the variation in the density or character of the different negatives or the grade or type of sensitized paper employed is compensated for by varying the intensity of the light emitted 'by the electric light bulbs 8.

The mechanism for varying the intensity of the light is as follows t-Mounted upon the side of lthe casing 7 is a resistance member 67, the latter'being secured to said casing by suitable brackets 68. The resistance member 67 embodies therein a resistance coil 69 comprising a wire which is wound around a cylindrical insulating member 70. A bar 71 extends longitudinally of the insulating member 7 0 and is fastened in any suitable manner at opposite ends thereof to the opposite ends of said insulatin member. A plurality of contact members g2 are inserted between the bar 71 and resistance coil 69, being spaced at intervals longitudinally along said resistance member, the opposite end portions of said contact members engaging said resistance coil and said contact members being insulated `from the bar 71 by insulating blocks 73. The

contact members 72 are also slidable longitudinally u on the bar 71. The opposite extremities o the resistance coil are connected to the source ofelectric supply, as indicated in the wiring diagram in Fig. 5, and the various contact members 72 are connected by wires a, b, c, d, e and f to a multiple switch mechanism 74 which is mounted upon a bracket 75 at the front of the machine. Another wire g extends from an end of the resist-ance coil to the switch mechanism 74.

The multiple switch mechanism 74 elnbodies therein a bar 76, to which a plurality of switches 77 are secured in any suitable manner, there being as many of said switches as there are connections to the resistance coil 67. The various switches 77 are located side by side upon the bar 76. and each -of said switchrs embodies therein an upper contact member 78 and a lower contact member 79, and said switches are controlled by push rods A, B, C, D, E, F and G, corresponding to the wires a, b, c, el, e, f and g. The multiple switch mechanism 74 also embodies therein a plurality of switches 80 which are fastened to the underside of the bar 76, there being a switch 80 provided for each switch 77 and located directly therebeneath.

The switches 80 each embody therein an upper contact member 81 and a lower contact member 82, the outer extremity of the former being bent upwardly and terminating adjacent to the outer extremity of the contactmember 7 8 of the switch 77, from which it is separated by an insulating member 83. The switches 80 are each controlled by the push rods'A to G inclusive. The contact members 81 of the switch 8O are connected by a common wire 84 to the source of electric supply, and in like manner the contact members 82 of said switch 8O are connected by a 'common wire 85 to the electromagnet 57 of the clutch-operating mechanism.

The various push rods A to G inclusive are mounted in a pair of bars 86 and 87 fast to supports 88 in turn mounted upon the bar 76, and each of said push rods has a tapered portion 89 provided thereon and forming a shoulder 90 which normally contacts wlth the undersurface of the bar 86. Mounted beneath the bar 86 and positioned in parallel relation thereto is a locking slide 91 having openings 92 provided therein, through which the push rods project, and a spring 93, connected at one end thereof to the bar 87 and at its other end to the locking slide 92, acts to always pull said locking slide toward the left in Fig. l and hold the edge of the opening 92 against the periphery of the push rods. When the push rods are forced downwardly to operate the switches 77 and 80, the tapered portion 89 of said push rods will cause the locking slide 91 to move toward the right in Fig. 1, as said tapered portion passes through the opening 92, and when the shouldered portions 90 pass beyond the undersurzface of the locking slide, the spring 93 will act to pull said locking slide above the shoulder 90 and thereafter irevent the push rods from moving upwarc ly until they are again released. During the downward movement of the push rods, the contact members 78 and 79 first engage each other and close the circuit at the switch 77 to the resistance member 67, thereby determining the amount of illumination to which the negative will be exposed. The continued downward movement of the push rods will then cause the contact members 81 and 82 of the switch 8O to engage each other, thereby closing the electric circuit to the electro-magnet 57 of the clutch-operating mechanism and starting the operation of the holderoperating mechanism. After the electric eircuit has been closed at the switch 8O the push rod is released and will move upwardly until the shoulder 90 thereon engages the undersurface of the locking slide 91, all the time holding the circuit closed at the Switch 77, and this switch willremain closed until a push rod is operated to again change the intensity of the light.

A switch 94 is provided in the electric circuit to the electric motor 15, making it possible to start and stop said motor as desired, and a switch 95 is provided in the lighting circuit to enable the auxiliary lights 9 to be added to the source of illumination, or eliminated therefrom, as may be desired.

The general operation of the mechanism hereinbet'ore specifically described is as ollows z--Assuming that the various parts are positioned as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 and that the electric motor 15 has been started in operation by operating the switch 94, the attendant of the machine places a negative 17 in position against the transparent member 16, where it is held by the clamp 18. Vith the aid of the pilot light 11 the attendant determines the amount of light that will be required to properly print the picture, and after having inserted a sheet of sensitized paper in the holder 19, one of the push rods A to G is pushed downwardly closing a switch 77 to the resistance member 69 and finally closing a switch 80 to the clutch-operating mechanism, thereby immediately starting the operation of the holder-operating means.

As the holder 19, frame 20 and support 24 move toward the negative 17, and after the sheet of sensitized material has been brought into engagement with the negative 17, during the final movement by which the sensitized material is pressed against said negative, the support 24 engages the pin 61, rocking the lever 62 and closing the electric circuit to the source of light through the members and 66 of the switch 60, and the negative and sheet of sensitized material will be exposed to the rays of light from the source of illumination until the holder 19 is withdrawn, the light being extinguished ust prior to the instant that the sheet of sensitized material is moved from engagement with the negative. At the end of a complete cycle of operations at which time the holder has returned to its normal position, the clutch members 50 and 51 are disengaged from each other automatically by the clutch-operating mechanism. f

The purpose of the eccentric bushings 37, 39 aud 41, is to enablethe operator to adjust with greater nicety the older for the sensitized material relatively tothe negative, and thereby to provide a close contact without exert-ing pressure sutlicient to break the glass 16.

It is obvious that the holder in a photograph printing machine embodying parts of my mvention may be moved vto and from the negative holding means b the hand or foot of the operator instead o b the automatic means shown, and I do not imit my invention to the use of automatic means therefor.

If the density of the negative, or the quality and s cnsitiveness of the sensitized paper 1s such that a greater amount of light 1s required, the electric light bulbs 9 may be brought into the lighting circuit by manipulating the switch 95.

I claim:

1. A photograph printing machine, having, in combination, a source of light, a holder for sensitized sheet material, a source of motive power,- means normally disconnected from said source of power to move said holder into position to expose said sensitized material to said light with a negative interposed therebetween, a clutch adapted to operatively connect said holder-operating mechanism and source of power, means to render said light effective and ineffective, means to vary the intensity of said light, and means adapted to be actuated in unison with said last-named means to operate said clutch to connect said holder-operating means to said source of motive power.

2. A photograph printing machine having, in combination, a source of light, a holder for sensitized sheet material, a source of motive power, means normally disconnected from said source of power to move said holder into position to expose said sensitized material to said light with a negative interposed therebetween, a clutch adapted to operatively connect said holder-operating mechanism and source of power, means to render said light elfective and ineiective, a resistance coil for said source of light, means connected to said resistance coil to vary the intensity of said light, and means adapted to be actuated in unison with said last-named means to operate said clutch to connect said holder-operating means to said source 'of motive power.

3. A photograph printing machine having, in combination, a source of light, a holder for sensitized sheet material, a source of motive power, means normally disconnected from said source of power to move said holder into position to expose said sensitized material to said light with a negative interposed therebetween, a. clutch adapted to operatively connect said holder-operating mechanism and source of power, means to render said light effective and ineffective, a resistance coil for said source of light, a plurality of switches electrically connected at different oints to said resistance coil and cooperating therewith to vary the intensity of said light, and other switches adapted to be actuated in unison with said tirst- A named switches to operate said clutch to connect said holder-operating means to said source of power.

4. A photograph printing machine having, in combination, a source of light, a holder for sensitized sheetmaterial, a source of motive power, means normally disconnected from said source of power to move said holder into position to expose said sensitized material to said light with a negative interposed therebetween, a clutch adapted to operatively connect said holder-operating mechanism and source of power, means to render said light effective and ineffective, a resistance coil for said source of light, a plurality of switches electrically connected at different points to s'aid resistance coil, other switches associated with said firstnamed switches, and a plurality of push rods or'said switches, said push rods being adapted to close said first-named switches to vary the intensity of said light and also to close said second-named switches to operate said clutch to connect said holder-operating means to said source of power.

5. A photograph, printing machine having in combination a source of light, a holder for sensitized sheet material, a source of motive power, means normally disconnected from the source of power to move the holder into position to expose the sensitized material to said light with a negative interposed therebetween, means or operatively connecting said holder operating means and said source of power, means to vary the intensity of said li ht, and means for actuating in unison sai last named means and the said means for operatively connecting said holder operating means and the source of power.

v In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 2nd day of December, 1926.

JOSEPH R.THONE'1`. 

